--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I obviously identify with the…" description: "\"I obviously identify with the anti-authority figure. I've pretty much always had problems with authority, ever since I was a kid. But, yeah, it's not i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/denis-leary-1350_angle_i-obviously-identify-with-the-anti-autho_747553.png" --- # I obviously identify with the anti-authority figure. I've… ![“I obviously identify with the anti-authority figure. I've pretty much always had problems with authority, ever since I was a kid. But, yeah, it's not identifying, I think it's more a part of my natural DNA that I question anybody who has a plan. Everybody's got to have an angle; that's the way I…” quote by Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/denis-leary-1350_angle_i-obviously-identify-with-the-anti-autho_747553.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/denis-leary-1350_angle_i-obviously-identify-with-the-anti-autho_747553.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/denis-leary-1350_angle_i-obviously-identify-with-the-anti-autho_747553.png) > “I obviously identify with the anti-authority figure. I've pretty much always had problems with authority, ever since I was a kid. But, yeah, it's not identifying, I think it's more a part of my natural DNA that I question anybody who has a plan. Everybody's got to have an angle; that's the way I grew up.” [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He sees questioning authority as innate, a personal trait shaping his worldview. **In simple terms:** Questioning authority is in his DNA. Key Takeaway Embrace healthy skepticism, but balance with constructive action. Themes authority individualism identity rebellion Mood reflective defiant Type personal humorous When to use this quote - career decisions - activism - team leadership - personal growth Key Concepts psychology social behavior personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - When does questioning become counterproductive? - How can you channel dissent positively? A Different Perspective Blind skepticism can hinder cooperation and progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Dna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dna/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I obviously identify with the anti-authority figure. I've pretty much always had problems with authority, ever since I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-obviously-identify-with-the-anti-authority-figure-i-ve-pretty-much-2/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [At Murry Bergtraum High I wanted to be as different from my father as possible. So I acted out in school, I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leguizamo/at-murry-bergtraum-high-i-wanted-to-be-as-different-from-my-father-as/) [John Leguizamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leguizamo/) > [The driving force behind doing everything that I've been doing for 11 years as a stand-up is having problems with authority and not liking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/the-driving-force-behind-doing-everything-that-i-ve-been-doing-for-11/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [The driving force behind doing everything that I've been doing as a stand-up is having problems with authority and not liking to be told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/the-driving-force-behind-doing-everything-that-i-ve-been-doing-as-a/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [I had to take responsibility, even if it meant saying no to an authority figure, because I was the authority on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-had-to-take-responsibility-even-if-it-meant-saying-no-to-an/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [...There are also those who inadvertently grant power to another man's words by continuously trying to spite him. If a man gets to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/there-are-also-those-who-inadvertently-grant-power-to-another-man-s/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [“you are the authority figure in your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-n-beck/you-are-the-authority-figure-in-your-life/) [Martha N. Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-n-beck/) > [A father has to be a provider, a teacher, a role model, but most importantly, a distant authority figure who can never be pleased.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/a-father-has-to-be-a-provider-a-teacher-a-role-model-but-most/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [After all, when you're talking about an authority figure oppressing against people, it's the people that hold that authority figure up. 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People wanted the reassurance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-boles/when-coronavirus-first-arrived-in-the-u-k-the-libertine-instincts-of/) [Nick Boles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-boles/) > [At 'The Daily Show,' we were satirizing a news program. You put somebody in a suit, you put 'em behind a desk, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyatt-cenac/at-the-daily-show-we-were-satirizing-a-news-program-you-put-somebody/) [Wyatt Cenac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyatt-cenac/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## More by Denis Leary > [I'm sick and tired of our generation being called the TV generation. What do you expect? We watched Lee Harvey Oswald get his brains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-m-sick-and-tired-of-our-generation-being-called-the-tv-generation/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [My father left Ireland because he did not want to muck horse manure for the rest of his life, and he wanted to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/my-father-left-ireland-because-he-did-not-want-to-muck-horse-manure/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I've eaten things that didn't complain this much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-ve-eaten-things-that-didn-t-complain-this-much/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [What I've learned is that life is too short and movies are too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/what-i-ve-learned-is-that-life-is-too-short-and-movies-are-too-long/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [Yeah, I love living in New York, man, and people who live in New York, we wear that fact like a badge right on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/yeah-i-love-living-in-new-york-man-and-people-who-live-in-new-york-we/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I've always had a thing for Catwoman. 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I believe in feeling better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-believe-in-prescription-drugs-i-believe-in-feeling-better/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [You really want to have a back-up plan, so when you don't feel like acting, or you're getting older and settling down, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/you-really-want-to-have-a-back-up-plan-so-when-you-don-t-feel-like/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [You try to - you want to fly on both sides of the political fence because that's where the - where the comedy is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/you-try-to-you-want-to-fly-on-both-sides-of-the-political-fence/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [I'm not really a Spider-Man fan. I'm more of a Batman guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-m-not-really-a-spider-man-fan-i-m-more-of-a-batman-guy/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) [Explore all 252 Denis Leary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) ## More Angle quotes > [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. 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Does he not rest in angles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-genius-is-a-genius-by-the-first-look-he-casts-on-any-object-is/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once I'd worked out that I couldn't possibly expect people to enjoy a monstrous, 3000-page book, I realised I could in fact create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/once-i-d-worked-out-that-i-couldn-t-possibly-expect-people-to-enjoy-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Writing is a intensely personal activity. I can pen down my best thoughts when I'm alone. But when one is elevated into the stature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/writing-is-a-intensely-personal-activity-i-can-pen-down-my-best/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [I have known a very good, fisher angle diligently four or six hours for a river carp, and not have a bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/i-have-known-a-very-good-fisher-angle-diligently-four-or-six-hours/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [“Distribution of weight is preferable to balancing everything on the head of a pin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psixaristw/distribution-of-weight-is-preferable-to-balancing-everything-on-the/) Psixaristw > [He was not as soft as when I'd first met him, not as young, but the angles of his face, his quick gestures, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/he-was-not-as-soft-as-when-i-d-first-met-him-not-as-young-but-the/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [If somebody is really trying to take your head off with a baseball bat - I don't know how long you're supposed to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-your-head-off-with-a-baseball/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sometimes I sit and look at life from a different angle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/sometimes-i-sit-and-look-at-life-from-a-different-angle/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse. 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